Vehicle door latch



H. W. RIGHTMYER VEHICLE'DOOR LATCH Feb. 27, 1940.

Filed Nov. 26, 1937 FILE-.1-

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 BMM/QM ATTORN EY Feb. 27, 1940. H. w. RIGHTMYER Y VEHICLE DOOR LATCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 26, 1957 INVENTOR Ha/ae/y W ffy/#rayer BY WAM/4MM. ATToRNl-:Y

Patented Feb. 27, 1940 UNITED STATES VEHICLE DOOR LATCH Holden W. Rightmyer, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to The American Swiss Company, Toledo, Ohio, a

corporation of Ohio Application November 26, 1937, Serial No. 176,571

7 Claims.

tracting direction, disconnects the outside handle or renders the latter ineffective, affording operation thereof in the usual manner but without imparting retracting movement to the latch bolt.

Other objects reside in details of construction,

arrangement and operation as will hereinafter appear and for purposes of illustration but not of limitation, an embodiment of the invention 1s shown on the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a portion of a door 1.5 panel with the outside handle in place;

Figure 2 is 'a transverse sectional view through a portion of a door showing the door latch mechanism and the voutside operated handle therefor;

Figure 3 is a sectional view substantially on the line 3 3 of Figure 2 showing the door latch mechanism, the parts being disposed in operative position enabling retraction of the latch bolt from the inside or outside of the door;

Figure 4 is a view somewhat similar to Figure 3 but showing the inside operated remote control advanced to render the outside operated handle ineffective; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view of the face of 5 the case plate flange showing the manner in which the outside operated handle is pivotally mounted.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a door having an outside panel I0 and an inside panel I I connected at the outer or for- 85 Ward edge by the usual plate I2. The outside door panel IU is formed with a recess I3, the side edges of which taper outwardly therefrom. Disposed in the recess is the outside operated handle I4, the end portions of which are disposed normally well within the socket or recess I3 to provide in eiiect the flush type handle. Provided in the recess I3 is an opening I5 through which a portion I6 of the handle of substantially S shape extends, the inner end of the handle being secured to an actuating arm I1 by a screw I8a (Figure 5).

The arm Il is formed with a pair of outwardly extending flanges I8 which t respectively between a pair of outwardly extending flanges I9 integral with a flange forming a part of a case plate 2|. Extending through the flanges I8 and I9 is a pin 22 which provides a pivotal connection between the actuating arm I'I and the flange 20 of the case plate. The case plate 2l is u suitably fixed in any well-known manner to the door panel AII and slidable through an opening formed in the case plate ange 20 and the door panel I2 is the nose 23 of a latch bolt. The latch bolt nose 23 is fixed to a bolt plate 24 which is slidablev over the case plate 2I, the rear end portion thereof having inwardly extending tongues 25 which ride in elongate slots 26 formed in the case plate for guiding the movement of the bolt. A bridge member 2'I having a at spring member 28 also assists in guiding the movement of the bolt. The bolt is urged to latching position by a spiral spring 29 having one end secured to the case plate 2I and the opposite endabutting the rear face of the bolt nose 23.

` The latch bolt is retracted from the inside of the door by a slide 30 which is disposed beneath the inner end of the bolt plate 24 and is also guided in its longitudinal sliding movements by the bridge member 2l and by the tongues 25. On the outer end of the slide is a T head 3I disposed in advance of the tongues 25 so that by movement of the slide 30 to the right (Figure 3), the T head 3| engages the tongues 25 and further movement ln that direction retracts the latch bolt against the force of the spring 29. A link 32 is pivoted at one end to the inner end of the slide 30 and extends to a suitable remote control handle mechanism (not shown), the latter being well-known to those skilled in this art and detailed description thereof is not considered necessary.

Continuing further with the description of the outside operated retracting means, the inner` end of the actuating arm Il engages an upwardly extending iiange 33 on the outer end of a plate 34 which is guided for longitudinal sliding movements on the case plate 2I by a pin and slot connection 35. Connected to the plate 34 and extending inwardly therefrom is a rod 36 on which is mounted a coil spring 3l the outer end of which abuts against a plate 34 and the inner end of which abuts against an ear 38 struck from the case plate 2 I, the rod 36 passing through an aperture in the ear 38. 'Ihe plate 34 is formed with a shoulder 39 which is engageable with a transversely movable slide 40 which is carried by the bolt plate 24 and is guided for transverse sliding movement -thereover by pairs of ears 4I. struck from the bolt plate. The slide 40 is secured to the bolt plate by a rivet 42 passing through an elongateslot 43 in the slide and disposed between the head of the rivet 42 and the slide is a plate spring member 44 having a ange 45 engaging the bolt plate 24 and oppositely disposed tongues 46, the upper one of which is engageable in a slot 41 the lower one' of which is engageable in a slot 43 when the slide is moved into one position or the other thereby to hold the slide in its adjusted position. When the slide is in its lowermost position as shown in Figure 3, the lowermost part is disposed directly in rear of the abutment or shoulder 39 on the plate 34 thereby enabling retraction of the latch bolt from the outside of the door by movement 'of the handle I4 to the dotted line position indicated'in Figure 2. When the slide V4I! is moved to the position shown on Figure 4, it will be apparent that the outside operated door handle I4 is rendered ineffective because the lower portion of the slide is moved away from the shoulder 39. When the slide is in the latter position, the handle I4 can be manipulated in the usual manner but without imparting retracting movement to the latch bolt, the plate 34 sliding along the case plate 2| but free from operative connection to the latch bolt, the coil spring 31 returning the slide to its normal position and retaining the handle I4 in the desired position.

'I'he slide 40 is moved into its operative position in rear of the shoulder 39 from the outside by a key-operated device as will hereinafter appear. The head 3l of the retracting slide 30 engages a pivoted sector member 49 which is pivoted at 50 to the case plate 2l. The opposite end of the arm 49 engages a flange 5I on the upper end of the slide 40. By moving the retracting slide 39 ahead to the position shown in Figure 4, the arm 49- is rocked in a clockwise direction moving the slide 40 to its uppermost position and 35 enabling the lower spring tongue 45 to snap into the slot 48.

Integral with the slide 49 and extending outwardly or forwardly and upwardly therefrom is an extension arm 52, the free' end of which is engaged by an eccentric cam 53. The cam 53 can be swung from the position shown on Figure 4 to the position shown on Figure 3 thereby to render the outside operated door handle I4 operative. Thus, by movement .of the retracting slide 30 the outside operated handle I4 may be rendered inoperative when the door is closed and to open the door, the cam 53 is swung downwardly to the position shown on Figure 3 enabling the latch bolt to be retracted by manipulation of the handle I4.

Means are provided for automatically rendering the outside handle I4 operative upon slamming of the door or retracting movement of the slide 30 from the inside of the door For this purpose, a spring 54 has its ends anchored to the case plate ZI and is formed with a downwardly and rearwardly inclined portion 55 which is engaged by the slide 4U when the latch bolt is moved rearwardly or in a retracting direction and in riding along the inclined surface 55 the slide 40 is moved downwardly to the position Y shown on Figure 3 in which the upper spring tongue 46 snaps into the slot 4l for yieldingly holding the slide in such position.

It is to be understood that numerous changes in details of construction, arrangement and operation may be eii'ected without departing from the spirit of the invention especially as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a vehicle door latch the combination of. a spring-tensioned latch bolt, outside operated retracting means for said latch bolt, a member carried by said latch bolt and movable relatively thereto for establishing an operative connection with said outside retracting means, inside retracting means having lost motion relative to said latch bolt, means operative upon said lost motion foractuating said member bodily away from operative connection with said outside retracting means, and means independent of said inside retracting means for automatically moving said member to operative position during retraction of said latch bolt away from latching position.

2. A vehicle door latch comprising a springtensioned latch bolt, a slide movable transversely of said latch bolt and carried thereby, an outside operated retractor for said vlatch including a rectilinearly movable member engaging said slide, an inside operated retractor having lost motion relative to said latch bolt in non-bolt retracting direction, means operative in response -to said lost motion for actuating said slide out oi the path of movement of said rectilinearlymovable member, and means independent of said inside retractor for automatically returning said slide to normal position in operative relation to said rectilinearly movable member during retraction of said latch bolt away from latching position.

3. A vehicle door latch comprising a spring tensioned rectilinearly slidable latch bolt, inside operated retracting means for said latch bolt including a slidable actuating member engagevable with said latch bolt and having lost motion in a non-bolt retracting direction, a slide carried by said latch bolt and movable transversely thereof, a pivoted member disposed between said actuating member and said slide and so arranged that movement of said actuating member in a non-bolt retracting direction'rocks'said pivoted member which in turn imparts movement to said slide away from normal position, and an outside operated retracting member engageable with said slide for retracting said latch bolt when the slide is in its normal position.

4. A vehicle door latch comprising a spring tensioned rectilinearly slidable latch. bolt, inside operated retracting means for said latch bolt including a slidable actuating member engageable with said latchbolt and having lost motion in a non-bolt retracting direction, a slide carried by said latch bolt and movable transversely thereof, a pivoted member-disposed between said actuating member and said slide and so arranged that movement of said actuating member in a non-bolt retracting direction rocks said pivoted member which in turn imparts movement to said slide away from normal position, and stationary means disposed in the path of movement of said slide when the latter is out of normal position for causing movement thereof to normal position during the retraction of the latch bolt.

5. A Vehicle door latch comprising a spring tensioned rectilinearly slidable latch bolt, inside operated retracting means for said latch bolt including a slidable actuating member engageable with said latch bolt and having lost motion in a non-bolt retracting direction, a slide carried by said latch bolt and movable transversely thereof, a pivoted member disposed between said actuating member and said slide and so arranged that movement of said actuating member in a non-bolt retracting direction rocks said pivoted member which in turn imparts movement to said slide away from normal position, yieldable means for moving said slide to normal position during the retractionl of the latchbolt, an extension on said slide, and rotatable cam means engaging said extension for actuating said slide.

6. In a vehicle door latch, the combination of a spring tensioned latch bolt, outside operated retracting means for said latch bolt, a member carried by said latch bolt and movable relatively thereto for establishing an operative connection with said outside retracting means, inside retracting means having lost motion relative to said latch bolt, means operative upon said lost motion for actuating said member bodily away from operative connection with said outside retracting means, separate means for holding said member in either inoperative or operative position, and means independent of said inside retracting means for automatically moving said member to operative position during retraction of said latch bolt away from latching position.

7. A vehicle door latch comprising a spring tensioned rectilinearly slidable latch bolt, inside operated retracting means for said latch bolt, including a slidable` actuating member engageable with said latch bolt and having lost motion in a non-bolt retracting direction, outside operated retracting means for said bolt, a slide carried by said latch bolt and movable transversely thereof to and from operative relation to said outside means, and a separate member disposed between said actuating member and said slide and so arranged that movement of said actuating member in a non-bolt retracting direction moves said member which in turn imparts movement to said slide away from operative position relative to said outside means.

HOLDEN W. RIGHTMYER. 

